In Greek Mythology, Amethyst was created thanks to the god of wine Dionysus (Bacchus)and the goddess Diana. However, in the view of more modern beliefs, amethyst is a highly prized purple colored quartz. The deeper the shade of purple the higher quality the stone. Very pale specimens of this stone can be heat treated to create green amethyst. Amethyst is reputed to have healing, and intuitive properties. Amethyst is The birthstone for February.

Onyx, a banded variety of the quartz family, is mined in Brazil, India, Madagascar, U.S.A and Uruguay. The only difference between onyx and other banded agates is that the stripes of onyx are even and uniform. Black oxyx's uniform black color is achieved by dyeing and or by heat treating. The name Onyx is a greek word meaning claw or fingernail, as it was once believed that onyx was created from the goddess Venus's fingernail clippings. Onyx and Sardonyx are essentially the same stone: onyx will have a black base, and sardonyx has a brown base.